ASEF Public Health Network: 2nd Advisory Group Meeting

OVERVIEW

This meeting convened eight Advisory Group Members from international and regional organisations, non-profits, and the private sector in Asia and Europe. During the Meeting, members discussed the future direction for the ASEF Public Health Network and provided technical inputs to the Network’s activities for 2011. Partnership possibilities for future initiatives were also discussed.

The meeting was followed by a Public Talk, jointly organised with the Centre for Non-traditional Security, S. Rajaratnam School for International Studies, Nanyang Technological University (RSIS Centre for NTS Studies), on “Regional Integration and Emerging and Re-Emerging Diseases’ Surveillance in Asia and Europe.” The keynote speaker, Dr. Ailan Li, Medical Officer of World Health Organization -- Western Pacific Regional Office, spoke about the present state of disease surveillance mechanisms and discussed challenges and possible ways forward.

Project Updates

“No single country can manage infectious diseases alone,” said Dr Ailan Li, Medical Officer of Health Security and Emergencies Division with WHO - Western Pacific Regional Office. Dr Li emphasised that infectious diseases do not respect national borders. Therefore, countries and regions should be more serious in efforts to strengthen global surveillance systems for tackling future pandemic threats.

Dr Li made her remarks at the public talk “Regional Integration and Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases’ Surveillance in Asia and Europe.” The talk, held on 27 January 2011 in Singapore, was organised by the ASEF Public Health Network in partnership with S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS). This public talk was chaired by Associate Professor Ralf Emmers, Acting Head of the NTS-RSIS.

Dr Anita Davies, Public Health Specialist, International Organization for Migration, underlined the importance of including migrants in national public health policies and frameworks so that they have better access to healthcare services. According to Dr Bill Durodié, Senior Fellow and Coordinator for the Health and Human Security Programme at the Centre for Non-traditional Security Studies (NTS)-RSIS, one lesson learnt from the H1N1 pandemic was the need for more effective and flexible surveillance systems.